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Benedict XVI: Guardian of the Faith

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ROME—Pope Benedict XVI was fitted with a pacemaker before his election in 2005 and recently underwent surgery to recharge it, a Vatican spokesman said Tuesday, adding that the procedure had "no impact" in the pontiff's decision to resign.

Pope Benedict's use of the pacemaker was unknown until Tuesday, when Italian financial daily Il Sole 24 Ore published an article on it. Asked about the report during a daily briefing, Vatican spokesman Rev. Federico Lombardi said it was "correct," adding that the pope underwent a "routine" procedure a few months ago involving the pacemaker. It "has been there for a while," he added.

On Monday, the 85 year-old pope told a group of cardinals he planned to resign at the end of the month, because he could no long bear the strains of Roman Catholicism's highest office, amid his advanced age and increasing frailty. Vatican officials said the pope wasn't suffering from any illnesses.

Father Lombardi on Tuesday reiterated that "no specific illnesses" led the pope to resign, adding that the move was prompted by the gradual "weakening and aging of the pope."

The pacemaker, Father Lombardi said, "didn't have any weight in the decision" to step down.

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